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How Much Are MTS Systems Corporation (NASDAQ:MTSC) Insiders Spending On Buying Shares?

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We’ve lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. On the other hand, we’d be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in
MTS Systems Corporation
(
NASDAQ:MTSC
).

Do Insider Transactions Matter?

It’s quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.

We don’t think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. As Peter Lynch said, ‘insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.’

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At MTS Systems

Independent Director Michael Schrock made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$471k worth of shares at a price of US$51.32 each. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at around the current price. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company’s future. Nonetheless, we consider it positive if insiders want to buy at around the current share price.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders bought 22.52k shares for a total of US$1.1m. Overall, MTS Systems insiders were net buyers last year. The average buy price was around US$50.17. Although they bought at below the recent price of US$54.42 per share, it is good to see that insiders are willing to invest in the company. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

MTS Systems Insiders Bought Stock Recently

Over the last three months, we’ve seen significant insider buying at MTS Systems. In total, insiders bought US$711k worth of shares in that time, and we didn’t record any sales whatsoever. This could be interpreted as suggesting a positive outlook.

Insider Ownership

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Insiders own 0.9% of MTS Systems shares, worth about US$9.2m, according to our data. We do generally prefer see higher levels of insider ownership.

What Might The Insider Transactions At MTS Systems Tell Us?

The recent insider purchases are heartening. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. On this analysis the only slight negative we see is the fairly low (overall) insider ownership; their transactions suggest that they are quite positive on MTS Systems stock. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this
free
report showing analyst forecasts for its future
.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at
editorial-team@simplywallst.com
. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.